Parachute harness



Filed Nov. 18, 1936 INVENTOR FRANCIS MCCARROLL ATTORNEY Patented Apr. 19, 1938 UNITED snares cries 4 Claims.

(Granted under the act of Maroh3, 1883, as amended April 30, 1928; 370 0. G. 757) This invention relates to a parachute harness, and more particularly to a harness in which is included an adjustable sling that permits a wearer of any size or weight, with or without flight clothing, to adjust the seat of the harness with a minimum of effort. This adjustable feature also enables the proper location of the points of attachment of the harness relative to the center of gravity of the wearer.

Many types of parachutes have been invented and used that had some adjustable features to enable them to hold the body of the wearer but none had included provisions for holding the wearer securely on the sling or seat; that is, the seat or sling was made of a fixed size and which, while a perfect fit for one wearer, did not fit a wearer of different size or weight. When improperly fitted, the prior parachutes did still hold the wearer therein but did so in such a manner as to often inflict injury, especially so when the wearer slid forward in the slings under the shock of the parachute opening.

With the present parachute the sling or seat may be adjusted to exactly fit the wearer, thereby insuring that the wearer will remain comfortably seated thereon and not slide forward, thus preventing injury to the wearer under the shock of the opening of the parachute. The injuries sustained in the past have brought to the attention of parachute jumpers and manufacturers the seriousness of some needed change in the design of the harnesses, and I have discovered the arrangement that has solved this problem by first recognizing what has been taking place to cause the injuries and secondly, disclosing a remedy.

With the foregoing and other objects in view, the invention consists in the construction, combination and arrangement of parts, as will be described more fully hereafter.

In the drawing:

The figure is a plan view of the parachute harness of this invention, some parts thereof being shown in partially twisted positions.

This invention is illustrated in connection with a parachute harness of the quick-attachable chest type, being an improvement on Patent 2,014,344, but the inventive features hereof are not restricted to that particular type of harness, but are equally applicable to other types, such, for instance, as that illustrated in Patent 2,040,533.

The parachute harness. herewith shown consists basically of six pieces of webbing, in addition to the necessary hardware with attaching straps or reinforcing sections. The six pieces of webbing may be considered as comprising three pairs of identical pieces of webbing. One pair of webbing straps are the back straps commencing at 56, extending through an adapter II and secured thereon by the stitching I2. Each back strap continues downwardly, as at I3, and is folded back through anchor loop M, as at I 5, about the mid tongue of the adapter I i, as at P6, and up over the shoulder, as at H. Just below the shoulder at I? one strap 18 of one of the other pairs is secured thereto and extends parallel therewith down the front to the point l9 located at about the top of the thigh. Adjacent the top, slides 26 are provided on the combinedstraps and the slides 20 are provided with extensions 21 having loops of webbing 22, to one of which is secured the snap fastener 23, and to the other the snap buckle, 24.

Parachute attaching fasteners 25 are secured between the straps. by extra reinforcing straps 26, which also serve to limit the downward movement of the slides 20. Just below this point are secured the attaching straps 21 which serve to hold the anchor loops I4.

Cross back straps 28 have one of their ends fastened as at 729 between the strap members forming the front portions just above the point it. The straps 28 slidably extend between the front straps as at 38, thereby providing a loop portion 3| for receiving one member 32 of a snap and buckle fastener for the thigh. The straps 28 then pass through the mid tongue of one adapter 33 and are secured as at 34 to the end tongue of the second adapter 33. The back strap which commences at I!) is not fastened to the other strap below the point 59, but instead extends about the mid tongue of an adapter 35, then through the mid tongue of another adapter 35, and is formed into a loop 3'! which is secured to the end tongue of the adapter 36, as at 38', the other member of the snap and buckle fastener 32 being secured in this loop 31. The lower end of the strapwhich commences at the point l8 passes between the mid and end tongues of one of the adapters 35, as at 39, and is secured to the end tongue M! of the other adapter 35, as at il.

In operation, the size of the seat or sling 42 may be adjusted by moving the adapters 35 near-' er or further apart. The size of the thigh-holding portions 33 is adjusted by suitably arranging the position of the adapters 3t, and similarly the adapters 33, so as to properly adjust the back cross strap 44. Adapters H permit the adjustment of the upper back cross straps 45 whereby the harness may be adjusted to exactly fit the particular wearer with or without flight clothing,

irrespective of his size or weight. Also, with the seat or sling 42 adjusted to properly fit there is no possibility of the wearer accidentally sliding out of the seat or sling while using the same.

Other modifications and changes in the proportions and arrangements of the parts may be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the nature and scope of the invention, as defined in the appended claims.

The invention described herein may be manufactured and used by or for the Government of.

the United States of America for governmental purposes without the payment of any royalties thereon or therefor.

Having thus set forth and disclosed the nature of this invention, what is claimed is:

1. A parachute harness including an adjustable thigh and lower back cross strap, said harness including a pair of vertical strap portions, said lower back cross strap comprising a pair of strap sections each anchored at one end to the vertical strap portions and slidably extending through the vertical portions, thereby providing a fastener-receiving loop and extending through one adapter and anchored to another adapter, the adapter through which one of the strap portions extends being the anchor for the end of the other strap portion, a thigh encompassing strap portion slidably extending through another adapter and anchored thereto, providing a second fastener-receiving loop, an adjustable seat on said harness, said adjustable seat comprising the lower ends of the vertical strap portion, each extending through one loop of one adapter and anchored to V a second adapter, through which one of the other strap portions slidably extends.

2. A parachute harness including a pair of vertical strap portions, each vertical strap portion comprising two strap members, a pair of adapters, each adapter having one of the strap members of one vertical strap portion adjustably extending therethrough and having one of the strap members of the other vertical strap portion anchored thereto, to thereby provide a seat member adjustable in length between the vertical portions.

3. A parachute harness including a pair of vertical strap portions, each vertical strap portion comprising two strap members, a pair of adapters, each adapter having one of the strap members of one vertical strap portion adjustably extending therethrough and having one of the strap members of the other vertical strap portion anchored thereto, to thereby provide a seat member adjustable in length between the vertical portions, the other strap member of each vertical portion extending through an additional adapter and anchored on said additional adapter to provide a fastener-receiving loop thereby providing a thigh enclosing portion.

4. A parachute harness including a pair of vertical strap portions, each vertical strap portion comprising two strap members, a pair of adapters, each adapter having one of the strap members of one vertical strap portion adjustably extending therethrough and having one of the strap members of the other vertical strap portion anchored thereto, to thereby provide a seat member adjustable in length between the vertical portions, the other strap member of each vertical portion extending through an additional adapter and looped back and anchored on said additional adapter to provide a fastener-receiving loop thereby providing a thigh enclosing portion, and a lower back cross strap comprising a strap member having a pair of adapters through which it extends to provide adjustment, the ends of said lower back cross strap slidably extending between the vertical strap members of each vertical strap portion and looping back and anchored to the vertical strap portion, and fastener elements on said loop .back portions cooperable with fastener elements in the thigh enclosing straps.

FRANCIS MCCARROLL. 

